Not at all! The agent was actually really nice. They're used to people using different methods to reach them because of how hard it is to get through. They just seemed focused on helping with my claim once I got connected.

Quick update - I just checked and my claim has been approved! Got the determination letter this morning after 6 weeks and 3 days in adjudication. They ruled that the performance standards were unreasonable since they were changed mid-quarter without proper training. All my back payments should be coming through in 48 hours. Don't give up hope!

my adjuducation took 12 weeks in 2024 it was TERRIBLE i had to use all my savings and max out credit card! the whole system is broken!!!! when i finally got someone on phone they approved me in 5 minutes like why did it take 12 weeks then????????

Update: I finally got through to ESD this morning after trying for 2 hours. The agent said my claim looks good but is waiting for employer response. They have until Feb 28th to respond, and if they don't, ESD will make a determination based on my documentation alone. She flagged my claim with financial hardship since I explained my situation. Fingers crossed this moves things along!

they took foreeeever with my claim too. like 6 weeks!! but i got all my backpay once they approved it so just hang in there! the waiting is the worst part but at least the money comes eventually

Update: We're seeing a lot of similar cases recently. ESD appears to be scrutinizing termination cases more carefully in 2025. Make sure the documents you uploaded clearly demonstrate you were terminated without misconduct. If your termination was part of a larger layoff or reduction in force, providing documentation that shows others were also let go at the same time can be helpful. Many claimants are seeing 3-4 week adjudication periods for termination cases right now.

did anybody else notice the esd website was down for like 4 hours last weekend? maybe they were doing updates and that affected the payment schedule

Update from someone who called ESD yesterday about this exact issue: They confirmed they've adjusted some of their payment batches due to increased claim volume. Some claimants have been permanently moved to different payment processing days. The representative said if your payment day has changed, it will likely stay on that new day going forward. They recommended allowing for a +/- 1 day window in your budget planning for UI benefits.

My brother-in-law just went through this last month. His waiver only took about 4 weeks to approve, but I think his case was pretty straightforward since the overpayment was clearly ESD's mistake. They calculated his benefit wrong initially then tried to reclaim $4,200 a year later. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that sometimes it can be faster I guess?

Just wanted to follow up since my earlier comment. One thing I forgot to mention is that while you're waiting for the waiver decision, make sure you respond to ANY correspondence from ESD, even if it seems unrelated to your waiver. Sometimes they need additional info but don't specifically connect it to your waiver request in their communications. Also, document every interaction with ESD - date, time, who you spoke with, and what was discussed. This documentation can be incredibly helpful if you need to file an appeal or if there's any confusion about what information you've already provided. Stay patient and persistent. The process is designed to be thorough, which unfortunately means it can be slow.